Middlemen still have a say at Jl. Daan Mogot

Tertiana ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Just below the nameplate of the Jakarta Police Driver's License Processing Unit at Jl. Daan Mogot Km 11, West Jakarta, there is a sign warning people not to use the service of middlemen.

Apparently, though, the warning is just hot air.

As soon as you arrive at the office to apply for a driver's license, a group of people will approach and offer their services, saying that they could help applicants bypass the time- consuming medical exams and written and driving tests. The official process takes about a week, but the middlemen would say that it could be one month and guarantee that you will get your license in only two days.

These middlemen, who claim to be registered service bureau agents, offer their services at a price.

Napitupulu, who has been a middleman since 1998, said one set of blank application forms is priced at Rp 110,000 (US$12.5), while the official fee is set at Rp 95,000. "But these forms have already been authorized. You just need to put your name on them," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The middlemen asked for Rp 350,000 for their services in seeing the whole process through, reassuring that the applicant would not have to spend even one more rupiah for the license.

"The 'contacts' inside will make sure that you will only need to be photographed, nothing else," said another middleman, Hutagaol, referring to the police attendants at the office.

The official closing hour for drivers' license applications is at 12:30 a.m., but the middlemen operate until 3 p.m. They are not worried that the police will kill their business, either.

"We're partners. Why do you think the police put the warning at the entrance? Because, if they don't, the number of middlemen will keep increasing. Besides, we're from a registered service bureau. The only legal offense we've committed is seeking clients at state institutions," Napitupulu said.

And what if the applicant is not a Jakartan?

The middlemen will take care of it.

"A Tangerang identity card can be done in one day, but a Jakarta identity card takes longer -- three days. Just leave us your official photograph and you can get your new ID for Rp 75,000," Hutagaol offered up his goods.

The middlemen asked for a total of Rp 475,000 for a complete package, claiming that most of the profits would go into the police's pockets, while they would enjoy only about Rp 50,000 at the most.

Napitupulu claimed that he had just helped a German to obtain a Jakarta ID card with a home address in the elite neighborhood of Menteng, plus a driver's license. The client paid a total of Rp 600,000.

"What can't money buy in this country?" he quipped.